


Not the Way it Used to Be

by serena221b



Category: The Veldt- Ray Bradbury
Genre: Human Sacrifice, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Veldt Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-18 00:52:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7292881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serena221b/pseuds/serena221b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When I was in 8th grade, my Seminar class had a discussion on "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury. According to his past students, our teacher does this text every year. The Post-write assignment was to write a short story based on it. When I turned in my assignment, my teacher said that out of all of the stories that he had read, mine was definitely the best. I posted the story on Quotev and now I'm going to post it here. I hope you enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not the Way it Used to Be

I walked into the veldt room to find my sister, Zephyr, waiting for me at the doorway of the castle. "Welcome back, Nicole," she said. "Thank you, Zephyr," I said. "How was your day at school?" she asked. "It was good. I got a hundred on my Science test," I said. "I'm so proud of you! How is Onix doing?" she asked. "She's doing good. But, she is begging me to invite her over to see our veldt room. Surprisingly, she has never seen one before," I said. "Tell her that she can come over tomorrow," she said. "Okay. May I call her after dinner?" I asked. "Yes, of course. Speaking of dinner, you must be starving. I've already had the servants prepare it," she said as we walked to the dining hall.  
After dinner, I went to the phone and called my best friend, Onix Lee. "Hey, girl!" she said. "Hey!" I said. "What's up?" she asked. "Well, I have decided that you can come over and see the veldt room tomorrow afternoon," I said. "It's about time!" she exclaimed. "Does 3:00 sound good?" I asked. "Yeah! See you then, Nicole!" she said. "Goodbye, Onix," I said as I hung up the phone. Then, I went to the parlor. "So, when is Onix coming over?" asked Zephyr. "She's meeting me outside the house at 3:00 pm," I said. "Good. I can't wait," she said. "I think you'll like her. She's very nice," I said. "We should get started on our monthly sacrifice," she said. "When will you stop doing those? You know that I hate them!" I exclaimed. "It is necessary to keep our secret," she said. "It's your secret. You're the one who decided to do them!" I exclaimed. "Because if we don't do them, the servants will tell people about your powers and they'll take you away. I do them to protect you," she said. "Fine. Who are we sacrificing this month?" I asked. "Primrose Howard, the apprentice maid," she said. "Let's get it over with then," I said as we went to the sacrifice room.

When we got there, Primrose was already in the cage above the fire pit. I don't like watching the sacrifices, but Zephyr always forces me to watch them. "Remember, keep watching it the entire time. Flora, lower the cage," she said. I saw the look of pure fear on Primrose's face. When the cage entered the fire pit, a large scream erupted. "I'm turning in for the night. Goodnight, Zephyr," I said. "Goodnight, Nicolette," she said. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?! It's just Nicole," I said as I walked towards my bedroom. I swear, sometimes I just can't stand my sister!

I was awoken the next morning by Zephyr. "Good morning, dear sister," she said. "Good morning, Zephyr," I said. Then, I got out of bed and got dressed in my Saturday attire, which was a tuxedo, a half mask, some gloves and combat boots, which were all black. Zephyr got dressed in the same outfit, but it was red. Then, we prepared for Onix's arrival.  
Several hours later, it was time for me to meet Onix outside. I went out of the veldt room and exited the house, where I saw Onix waiting for me. "Hello, Onix," I said. "Hello, Nicole," she said. "Allow me to escort you to the veldt room. We don't use the rest of the house," I said as we walked there. "What do you mean 'we'?" she asked. "You'll see," I said as I opened the veldt room door. When we entered, Onix was amazed. "Follow me," I said as we walked across the bridge. "So, who lives with you here?" she asked. "Oh, some servants and my sister," I said. "I didn't know that you had a sister," she said. "Well, now you do," I said as we entered the throne room. I saw Zephyr sitting on her throne. "Oh, you must be Onix. I'm Zephyr. Nicole has told me so many good things about you," she said as she shook Onix's hand. "Are you her sister?" asked Onix. "Yes, I am. Please feel free to look around as much as you like. Dinner will be ready at 6:00," she said. "Thank you," said Onix as she exited the throne room.

3rd Person POV  
Onix definitely took a different tour of the castle than any other guest who visited. She looked in all the normal areas that everyone else looked, like the guestroom and the garden. But there was one place that no one dared to look in. This was the Sacrifice room, the room that Nicole hated the most. Onix noticed that its door was much different from the others. But, curiosity got the best of her and she opened it. She was very frightened when she saw it. She started to leave, but the door closed by itself. "You shouldn't have come here, Onix," said Zephyr. "Does Nicole know about this room?" she asked. "Yes, she does. In fact, she hates it. But this room is necessary to ensure that my secret doesn't get out. And I will use it to dispose of you," said Zephyr. "You're mad! You're completely and utterly mad!" Onix exclaimed. "You can't escape, Onix," she said. "Nicole, help!" Onix exclaimed.

Nicole's POV  
"Nicole, help!" screamed Onix. Oh, no! I couldn't let Zephyr sacrifice Onix! I ran to the Sacrifice room as fast as I could and pushed the doors open. "Zephyr, stop!" I exclaimed. "I'm doing this for your own good, Nicole. I cannot let Onix escape," she said. "That's it! I am done with you! Melanie, grab Onix! Flora, get Zephyr into the cage!" I exclaimed. Then, Onix was at my side once more. Zephyr did her best to try to escape the cage, but it was no use. "Nicolette, you can't do this! I'm your sister!" she exclaimed. "My sister was killed in a fire last year, and you are nothing like her in the least! Your silly attempt at making me believe that you are like her in any way has failed!" I stated. "But if you kill me, there will be no one to take care of you," she said. "I can take care of myself. Flora, lower the cage!" I ordered. Then, a huge scream erupted. "Come on, Onix. We are getting out of here for good," I said as we exited the veldt room. 

3rd Person POV  
Two years later, Nicole is staying with Onix and her family, far away from her old house. After the events of the veldt room, she visited Onix's father (who is a psychologist) once a week for a year. After that, she threw away any belongings that reminded her of the veldt room and her fake sister. She also changed her name to Alyssa. She is very happy now and is living a perfectly normal life. In fact, she has gotten rid of her powers for good.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated!


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